Practicalities

Planning and Preparing the Travel

Best Time to Travel

The weather in Cambodia is dominated by the monsoon. From May to October, winds from the south-west bring humid air and rain. From November to April, winds from the northeast bring dry weather.

Rainy season is from June to October, the maximum of rain is in September. Dray Season is from November to April or May.

From June to December, the midday sun moves from the Tropic of Cancer (in the north) the southern tropic; from December to June it moves back. Midday sun is perpendicular in May and again July.

The cool season is from July to January. Hot Season is from February to June.

Rainy season means fresh air and green vegetation. Rain is mostly in showers and in the afternoon. Earth roads may become marshy or under water.

Dry season brings dust. The vegetation will dry up by and by.

Airport Siem Reap

Siem Reap has an international airport. If your hotel does not pick you up, you can book a car (10 USD) or tuk-tuk (9 USD) at the counter. Or you walk outside and find a cheaper tuk-tuk on the road; negotiate the price.

On the Land from Bangkok to Siem Reap

At Suvarnabhumi Bangkok, find the free Shuttle Bus to the Bus Station, in the second line outside.

There are no standards for transportation of any kind of vehicle. Generally, public transport companies don’t hold any insurance. Some companies are probably illegal. Buy your Bus Tickets at a solid Agency, where you can ask for a relatively safe Bus Company.

Keep your passport in a safe and have a copy in your wallet.

It is like everywhere in the world: What you put on the table may be forgotten or stolen.

Timing

Start early; Early morning is generally the best time, start at 7 AM, or even sooner. The locals take a noon break from 11 am to 2 pm, for good reasons, it will be hot!

Visiting hours

General: 7.30 AM to 5.30 PM

Angkor Wat: 5 AM to 5.30 PM

Srah Srang 5.30 AM to 5.30 PM

Pre Rup: 5.00 AM to 7.00 PM

Phnom Bakheng: 5.30 AM to 7.00 PM

Take care of you

Visiting Angkor can be strenuous. Don't try to take on too much. Have rests, and drink plenty of water; you need 2 - 3 litres of water per day. Take enough water with you; water In Angkor is often of low quality and overpriced. I use to drink Kulen Mineral Water, available at good Supermarkets in Siem Reap. Ask your driver for toilets.

Transportation

Angkor Wat, the nearest temple, is located some 5 km north of Siem Reap.

Various means of transport are available from bicycles to air conditioned cars.

Begging

People begging or hawking in Angkor or Siem Reap are not poor at all! Ignore them with friendliness.

Inside the East Mebon temple, I watched some happy children, mostly girls, begging or trying to sell trinkets. They received three dollars. When the tourists had gone, they rendered the money to a police officer.

"Think twice before buying anything from children on the street, beaches or at temples and refrain from giving money to begging children or parents with infants. It keeps them on the street and places them at risk."

Museums and More

Angkor Conservation

Angkor Conservation

"In the storerooms of the Conservation d'Angkor over 5000 valuable sculptures from the Angkor Area are stored, which originally stood in the Angkorian temples including stone heads from gods and demons, stone Buddhas, lingas as well as hundreds of wood statues."

Located near the river, opposite of Wat Preah Enkosei, the collection can be visited from Monday to Friday, 7 am to 3.30 pm, entrance fee $ 5.00. It is well worth a visit.

Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum

It is to preserve and exhibit the Buddhist statues discovered at Banteay Kdei temple.

Bayon Information Center

An "exhibition facilities town home to Angkor Wat World Heritage Site ... Here, we are introducing easy-to-understand information about religion and art history and a number of temples around Angkor Bayon. We are also currently underway, on the activities of international research projects and repair, you can help you understand the state of the ruins of Angkor enjoy today such as through video and photo exhibition of artifacts. I hope that everyone will experience things in Angkor is more flavorful by this exhibition."

At the old road to Angkor. Open Mo-Wed, Fri/Sat, 8 am to 4 pm. Admission $ 2.

The so-called Angkor National Museum

"… [T]he privately owned Angkor National Museum's collection is faulted by experts for being shallow compared with the National Museum in Phnom Penh. Be that as it may, the presentation is smart, hi-tech and informative. A worthwhile if expensive stop for those seeking some deeper Angkor context."(rustycompass.com)